


Memories in White

by noshimoshi



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Brainwashing, Cults, Eating Disorders, Existential Angst, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Other, Poisoning, Psychological Horror, Religious Content, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 01:27:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11910363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noshimoshi/pseuds/noshimoshi
Summary: Something dubious is going on in that house. What's the deal with that boy in all white? Why does he always have that curved knife?





	1. Hopeless

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a headcanon of what Daniel's childhood was like.  
> Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They are from RoosterTeeth's web series, Camp Camp.

The world was dying and the people were desparate.

     Everyday on the news, you'd hear about a natural disaster happening somewhere, someone was murdered and the body was found in a ditch somwhere, the country was going into political turmoil and more and more negativty. People didn't know what to do or where to turn to.  Everything felt _hopeless_ , until one fateful day. A lovely couple had bought out the mansion on the edge of town. It was the one the people living behind always looked at in envy. The new owners were Jacob and Anne and they were on a mission. They wanted to help the residents in this town, better yet, they wanted to save them. Jacob gad hired a team to paint the house white and Anne got to work converting it into a church. She got the legal papers and everything. Within three months, it was completed. An all white house, every square inch was the same ivory shade. Some things had accents of gold and obsidian.The furinture, curtains, every looked like heaven. One would be afraud to even breathe inside the house, in fear of ruining its purity. Outside displayed red and blue flowers, surround the front and sides of the house. In the front of the lawn there was a sign and it said " **DO YOU FEEL HAPPY? SAFE? IF NOT, JOIN US AND WE CAN GUIDE YOU!** "

     Many people showed up to see what Jacob and Anne had to offer. Men, women and children filed into the pews that were in the main room. Jacob was the preacher of the church while Anne was the assisstant, dealing with the behind the scenes work. The congregation heard things about "the Ancient Ones" and how their souls needed to be "purified". Most thought this was just a bunch of hippie bullshit, and others were just confused. While her husband was addressing the public, Anne went behind the curtain and flipped a switch, opening some small slits in the walls and ceiling to allow some air into the room, then she turned wheel that let out a small creak. Anne appeared once again at his side The room began to smell slighty sweet and people looked more relaxed. After the sermon, everyone went back to their own houses thinking about what they've experinced. 

_That was absolutely crazy._

_What a waste of my time._

_Those folks are fucked in the head._

 

     Despite all this, they all came back. Perhaps they were masochists, or just looking for some free entertainment. But they all came back and soon they were starting to listen to the formerly insane words that the man said. Some might say they were starting to believe. The same crowd came every week to the same sweet smelling room, however each time, they brought more people to be filled with hope and have their souls cleansed. After about four years, the congregation had reached up to about a thousand members. Soon the room stopped smelling sweet, but there was a new room installed on the side of the main one.  They called it the Purification Sauna. It could fit 50 people and could provide a more permanent sense of piety.  A month passed and everyone looked up at Jacob with admiration in their dilated pupils. Jacob looked over a sea of loyal disciples, sporting bleached white clothing; he felt like a god. 

     The last full moon of the fourth summer was approaching. It was time for Ascension. Over the course of the year, Anne's stomach had started to swell. She was pregnant and it looked like the due date was sometime this week. That didn't stop her though. She pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail and got to work in the kitchen. She had to prepare for the grand party that is set to start at midnight. It was currently 6:37. Just five and a half more hours. She could make it. In the next room, Jacob was explaining what would happen during the party. Their souls would leave their physical forms and ascend to the wonderous afterlife, courtesy  of the Ancient Ones. The crowd cheered, unbeknownst to their true fates.

     The time was 11:50. Everyone had gathered outside into the seemingly limitless backyard.  There were dozens of tables set up with bright red cups filled with a purple liquid. Smelled like grape Koolaid. If one were curious and observant, they might have noticed about ten empty gallon jugs discarded by the trash cans and if they were to look closer, they might have spotted the same pattern of letters on each one. KCN. Luckily, everyone was in a dream-like trance awaiting further instructions. Jacob had informed the people that Ascension was only for adults so if anyone was under the age of 18 had to observe from the sidelines. Around 150 teenagers and 100 kids had put down their cups and moved away from the crowd. The babies were given to the teenagers to hold and they were sound asleep. Jacob gave a brief speech; they were all mesmerized by his words. He checked his watch. 11:59.

_5..._

_4..._

_3..._

_2..._

    He raised his right arm like he was the conductor of an orchestra, in control of the most powerful symphonies ever to grace mankind.

_1..._

    There was a deafening silence as everyone gulped down the contents of their cups. Jacob locked eyes with Anne. They both smiled with triumph. The children watched with anticipation. Nothing happened for the first 15 seconds, then someone coughed. Everyone had looked a little ill. The screams of complete agony didn't bother the couple. Neither did the coughing up blood, spasms, or how those screams were suddenly silenced by the cold hands of death. They had both seen these things before time and time again. After the last person fell dead, the children were ushered inside. Jacob was about to dig a huge pit for all the bodies, but that was going to have to wait for another day.

     Anne's water broke. Jacob drove her to the hospital and reminded his wife to just keep breathing. 

     Jacob sat outside twiddling his thumbs, thoughts going through his head at top speed.  _Was it a boy or a girl?  Was the baby going to be healthy? Will she survive childbirth? What if it's twins?  Will it look more like me or her?_ These thoughts were cut short when the doctor told him he could come in. Anne was pale but clearly very happy has she held her baby. It was a beautiful baby boy, with hair of corn silk and eyes of small Neptunes. 

     "What shall we call him?" Anne asked.

      Jacob scrolled through the list of names he had prepared for this fateful day.

      "Daniel." he said finally.

      "Perfect."

     From this day forward, he will be known as Daniel.

     Daniel, the young prophet.

 


	2. Almost Normal

     Most kids got jewelry or photos as passed down family heirlooms but with Daniel, it was a bit different. His father gave him a century old sacrificial knife. It was about nine inches long and had a serpentine curve that got bigger as it got to the hilt, so if it managed to get inside someone, the internal bleeding would kill them in about 15 minutes. He cherished it dearly. Daniel grew up learning the ways of his religion: the gods, the rituals, the whole "ascension" thing. He decided to bring in some sacrifices for his favorite god, Xemüg. The twelve-year-old went into the forest from his backyard. It stretched so far, it reaches the back of the high school on the opposite side of town. Daniel found all sorts of creatures in the forest. Whenever he caught something, he'd carve an X into the nearest tree. Squirrels were his favorite because they got all twitchy when they were stabbed; he thought it was amusing.   

     After he caught a few of something, he would take them back home and skin them. Then, he'd arrange the bones on one of the altars. Later, one of his parents would grind them up and spread them over the giant dirt mound in the back. All his life, Daniel was to tell the inquisitors that it was a future garden. Nothing more, nothing less. He never understood why he had to say this. Most times they wouldn't be around to see the hypothetical garden.

     After this year's last ascension party, Jacob and Anne were wondering if their son should go to the normal high school. There were two reasons for this. One, he could probably get some new members. Most kids are idiots and will believe anything they hear. Two, people were starting to question the state of the child's life. They would see him around town, but never at or near the school. They would ask him what school he went to, but it was a trick question. In a town this size, there was only one school. He would point to the white mansion on the edge of town with a large smile. They would nervously laugh, but with a patronizing tone in their voice. For these reasons, (and a couple legal ones) they felt their reasoning was just.

     Daniel was not happy about this at all. He protested his thoughts and feelings to his parents. He hated other human beings and thought they were worthless until they were pure. Anne brought up that a member of the church goes to that school.

     Jen. 

     Daniel knew her. They basically grew up together. She was one of the babies four parties ago. Jen's dad was good friends with Jacob. After he and his wife ascended, Jen became a cousin like-figure for him. Indigo eyes and towheaded, she was pretty enough. Daniel was sure she was sure she'd never grow out of those trashy magazines; they littered the floor of the room she had managed to get.

     Daniel sighed.  _If she could do it, then so could he,_ he thought.  _I'm not going to let her outdo me._

     They settled on a compromise. As soon as he turned 15, he would be enrolled.

      He would have to learn to blend in and be a "normal teenage boy".


	3. Nonbelievers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, it gets pretty dark here. I even had to change the tags. I couldn't wait to write this.
> 
> Daniel has to work with these two kids on a project about space. Seems simple enough

     His sophomore year was pretty easy. To his surprise, no one really bothered him. You can't really blame them, though. They were absolutely  _terrified_ of him. New kid, that wears all white, pale as a ghost but wasn't ginger or albino, didn't have a last name, speech and mannerisms seem to be not from this time period and appear to never blink? You couldn't pay anyone enough to even exist within 50 feet of him. Shocking enough, the typical bullies didn't mess with him. Most of the students thought it was because the school couldn't afford to replace bullet-holed windows. Daniel didn't mind all that much; he liked the quiet. However, he was quite popular in the orchestra. The way he played his violin basically hypnotized the rest of the class. When he was done, they snapped out of whatever trance they were in and applauded him. Daniel was concert master in no time. The raven-haired Casey, now second chair, seethed with envy. Meanwhile, his academics were struggling. Daniel was homeschooled for most of his life. He learned basic mathematics, English, science, and history. One of his two only A's was in chemistry, which he was 'surprising" gifted at. Dr. Higgsbury recommended him to go to advanced placement. After a bumpy nine months, he passed with straight C's and two A's.

     Junior year was a bit different. The seniors in the orchestra moved on to college or whatever they planned to do, so the group was a bit smaller. Luckily, some new kids came to the school and a few joined. One of the kids stood out. Her name was Kira.  She had copper skin and long, curly black hair. But she didn't stand out because of that, it was because she wasn't afraid of Daniel. She thought he was mysterious and she loved a good mystery from time to time. She played the cello and was enthralled by his skill. She needed to know more about this kid. Fortunately, she became friends with Jen. 

     Daniel had Physics right before lunch. It's not that he was bad at it, he just didn't agree with the material. One day, Mr. Webster walks over to him.

"Do you see those two boys over there?" He points near the window. "They're really good at astrophysics and I think they could help you with the project." 

    Daniel gathers his things in a beige satchel and walks over to their table.

"Hello, I was told to see you because you can assist me with the assignment" Daniel internally cringed at how childish and needy he must have sounded. 

     The one with the auburn hair greeted him with a friendly smile, braces reflecting a bit of light.

"I'm Ethan, you can have a seat right across from us"

     Daniel tried to speak to the brown skinned boy next to Ethan, but he didn't respond. He seemed to be nose deep in a textbook. Ethan nudged him in the shoulder with his elbow. Daniel quickly took notice of the "gentle giant and apathetic runt" dynamic the duo had. The shorter one took off his hood, revealing a mop of dark brown curls that flopped everywhere and silver headphones. He removed one ear and gave Ethan an annoyed confused look. You could slightly hear Vivaldi blaring out. Ethan gestured to the new kid that appeared in front of them. 

"I didn't catch your name," Daniel repeated. Geez, this was getting awkward for him.

     The boy put his headphones around his neck and gave Daniel a sly smirk. "I didn't throw it, pretty-boy." 

     Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

"Goddammit Marcus."

     Daniel chuckled a bit. That's what normal people do in situations like this, right?

"Well,  _Marcus_. It's nice to meet you. And I think you're quite attractive as well."

     Marcus' ears tinted red and he huffed out of frustration. He turned to Ethan for help, but he was trying to contain his laughter. Marcus flipped around the book he was reading and pointed to one of the paragraphs. "Anyway... This is our project. We're doing it on the formation of the universe and we are discussing the Big Bang. Got it? Good."

   Daniel's eyes lit up like a bulb. "I know a whole lot about space!" he beamed and went into his bag to retrieve something. Ethan looked over at Marcus. "Now we're two steps ahead of everyone else. Hell, we could even be done by tomorrow if we're lucky." Marcus nodded in agreement. With three heads instead of two and a lopsided tumor, this might be a breeze.

"Got it!" A medium sized black book with a burgundy pentagram was placed on the table. "Hell fucking no," quaked Ethan. Marcus took two pencils and made a cross. Daniel gave a disheartened look. "I thought it would help with the research."

     Ethan and Marcus turn their chairs toward each other and huddled low.

"What the actual-"

"Wait, did anyone else see it?"

     Marcus bobbed his head up and searched the room. Everyone else seemed to be focused on completing their own project or chatting amongst their group.

"We're good. For now."

"What's Webster gonna say if he thinks we used some Harry Potter hocus pocus bullshit for this."

"I'd rather not imagine failing that hard. It'll give me a migraine."

"But we have to 'tutor', right? Let's just find out what he knows and go from there."

"Sounds good."

     They both pop up and return their chairs to the original position. Luckily, Daniel didn't notice. He was too busy looking out the window at the woods. He had never been in them from this side.

"Tell us what you know about space." Ethan started. Deep down, he knew this was going to be a trainwreck. He just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible.  

"You know how people say the Big Bang started the universe?" They nodded slowly, fearing the worst. "Well, that's actually incorrect! It was a side effect of the Millenia Wars started by Xemüg and the Galactic Confederacy! OH! And did you know that all negative emotions come from space? Our atmosphere is under constant bombardment from negative emotions tied to dark toxins that clung onto the matter left over from the Big Bang. That's why it's important to be purified."

     Ethan was paralyzed from confusion and a disturbing kind of awe. Marcus had a fist over his mouth, silent until he finally put together the words in his head.

"I couldn't make that shit up even if I tried."

     Daniel frowned. He thought he could spread his good word to his classmates, hoping they'd be inspired to join him.

"Who taught you that and why did they lie to you?" Ethan questioned.

"It's true! All of it!" Daniel snapped. He hastily checked his watch. The bell was going to ring soon. "After class, meet me at the back door in the gym and I can prove it." 

"Skip school?" Ethan whined sarcastically, clutching his invisible pearls.  He turned toward his friend." I'm in if you're in."

     Marcus shrugged."I don't have anything better to do."

 

 

      Daniel was leaning on the back exit of the gymnasium. He's been there for the last five minutes and was starting to think they wouldn't show. The front doors slowly open. Two voices echoed in the dark."Daniel?" "If this is a prank, I swear to - oh there he is." The two walked through the gym, over the navy and red Cascade High logo on the floor. In the middle, there was a honey badger. 

     Marcus gave Daniel a once-over and noticed something bulging out of his lower right pant leg. "Do you have a ruler or something in your leg?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. Must be a trick of the light. Are you guys ready to have your minds blown?!" He gestures dynamically.

     With that, they sprinted out the door and into the woods, hoping no one spotted them. To be fair, not many people at their school were attentive and the others just didn't care. Once they passed the first few trees, the temperature noticeably dropped. Marcus pulled down the sleeves of his olive hoodie and Ethan cursed himself for not bringing anything, suffering and shivering. Daniel didn't seem bothered by the sudden chill at all. They've been walking for about ten minutes. Daniel was ahead of them and they tried their best to keep up. He was walking fast, looking at the trees, cycling back around, and going every which way. The silence was starting to get to the duo.

"What if it's some spooky seance shit? You saw the book!" Marcus huffed.

"Hmm. Probably not." Ethan reasoned. "He's a good kid with some "quirky" beliefs. Maybe it has something to do with being homeschooled in a church for most of his life."

"'Church', huh? Whatever you say, man."

     They both looked up and Daniel stopped walking. He took in the scenery and breathed deeply. Daniel turned around to them. "We're here!" Both Marcus and Ethan looked around. Nothing changed. It was the same thing they've seen for the past 15? 25? 30? minutes. "And...?" Ethan jazzhands, sardonicism clearly present. 

"Before I show you, I want to talk to you first. Have you guys ever thought about killing yourselves?" Daniel says, not realizing how inappropriate it is to ask that so casually. The weather paired with the overall mood as a large cloud, blocking the sun. Ethan shot a worried glance at Marcus, who was gripping his upper arms. He knew that Marcus had been through a lot. He'd been the one that found him bleeding in a bathtub two years back. 

"I understand this might be uncomfortable to mention, but it does happen. I saw your wrist, Marcus. Why did you do that to yourself?"

     Marcus sighed. He was somewhat over the suicide thing. He's seeing a therapist and taking his meds. He didn't mind talking about it, it just made him a little uneasy. "I just didn't want to live anymore." 

     Daniel looked at him, deep in thought."That's what happens when too much of the toxins infects you. You become ill." If Ethan rolled his eyes any harder, they would have locked. He needed something to distract himself from this nonsensical heart-to-heart. He crouched down by a tree and saw a spider spinning a web. He's never seen one doing its daily thing so up close before. He shifted to his knees, back facing Marcus and Daniel. 

"Are these the same toxins you were talking about earlier?" continues Marcus.

Daniel nods. "And there's a way to get rid of them for good."

"By being... Wait how did you put it? Purified?"

"Exactly! You're learning so much already."

"I don't know. I got everything under control with what I already have."

     There was another long silence. Daniel's eye twitched and he cracked his neck, resulting in a surprised look from Marcus.

"Are you really passing up the opportunity to be happy forever? No one else on Earth can give you that." This was the first time they had seen Daniel actually angry.

However, he cooled down and chuckled. Marcus noticed that the pant leg looked different. Flatter. 

"You don't have to be pure." He started to laugh some more. "You don't even have to ascend." Ethan turned around but was still crouching.  _This is new,_ he thought  What happened next happened so quickly. Daniel took out a knife and stabbed at a target diagonally behind him. Ethan's chest. 

"But you will  **rot** here with rest of the nonbelievers." Daniel hissed, words dripping with poison.

     Blood began to fill Ethan's mouth as he collapsed to the dirt. The world became equally sharp and out of focus for Marcus. _Is this real? That didn't just happen, right? It was all a dream. Then why do I feel like vomiting? I have to run. No! I have to fight. I don't want to die. Not this way._ He couldn't think straight. Could barely breathe too. But he had to do something. Marcus charged at Daniel with a right hook, but Daniel quickly retrieved his knife from the corpse and slashed at his hand. Marcus recoiled and looked at the deep gash in his palm. If he kept this up, he'd lose a couple fingers. He thought about running back to the school to warn everyone, but there was just one problem. He had no idea where he was. Daniel lunged and sliced multiple times. Marcus was pretty good at dodging them, despite being nicked in the face a couple times. He decided to take off his hoodie because it was weighing him down. This temporary moment of blindness gave Daniel the perfect attack. He cut under his left arm and near his neck. Marcus yelped in pain and backed into a tree. Finally getting it off, he was more ready to defend himself. Daniel tried to attack his throat, but he dove to the ground. 

     They were caught in this dance that probably would result in death. Marcus just hoped it wouldn't be his. Daniel pounced near him, stabbing down toward his face, but Marcus rolled to the left, not without getting a chunk of his ear removed. As he tried to stand up and run, Daniel severed both of the tendons behind his knees. Marcus fell and could not get back up, so he scrambled away from his opponent. Daniel stood up. White clothes stained with streaks of brown, green and red, he walked over to his victim with a demented smile, twisting his knife lightly on his thumb.

"This is all your fault, you know. You could have been happy. You could have been a part of something greater. Something beyond human comprehension." Marcus weakly tries to scoot backward, but Daniel straddles him. He smirks and traces the knife under Marcus' chin, "You're not even worthy enough to be a sacrifice." Tears sting his eyes and the cuts in his face. He feels sluggish from all the blood loss, but he still has hope he can get out of this alive. "P-Please don't k-kill me..." Just saying that drained him.   

"I have no other choice. You're a virus, going around and infecting people with your lies and corruption and I can't have that happen," he says. Daniel takes the knife and plunges it into Marcus. Black spots appear in his vision, but when he looked past that, he saw a light surrounding Daniel. This light made him look holy, despite that fact that he was going to die in a few minutes. He heard him say something else through his warped hearing as Daniel removed the knife.

"A meaningless life equals a meaningless death." 

With those words, he walked off further into the woods.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mood while writing this:  
> https://youtu.be/1wfrG7NjRII?t=2s  
> https://youtu.be/6b6Sn0RBmRo


	4. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jen invites Kira to her house to hang out because that's what normal girls do when they have friends. Daniel and Kira seem to be interested in each other, for very different reasons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget about this, I swear.

**Friday, September 4, 2009**

**TWO BOYS FOUND DEAD IN THE WOODS LAST NIGHT BY A HIKER**

    Jen walks into Daniel's room holding today's newspaper. Daniel is nonchalantly sitting on his bed, polishing several knives. She tosses the paper onto the bed and crosses her arms in frustration. 

"What did you do?"

" I have no idea what you're talking about." he calmly states, not looking up.

"Just read the paper." 

     Daniel rolls his eyes and sets down the knife and the cloth. Picking up the newspaper, he quickly scans over the passages and the obituaries and the ever so famous "whodunit" conclusion. He smirks to himself. _They actually had the guts to include pictures. I'm impressed._ He rolls the newspaper and stands. "What makes you think I'm responsible?" Jen glared at him."They described the stab wounds as 'something they've never seen before' and 'whatever weapon was used must have been customized.' So I repeat. What did you do?!"

"I did my job, _Jennifer._ " He hands her back the paper.

"Well to me, it looks like you messed up real bad. You seriously couldn't wait a day or two. The last full moon of the summer is tonight for crying out loud. Don't you think the gods will be cross with you?"

"They were stubborn and I didn't have the patience. I'm their loyal disciple. I think they'll forgive me for this one, minuscule thing. And before you ask, yes, I cleansed myself afterward. Their auras were so toxic and I didn't want to risk getting infected."

"Good. I'm having a friend over and she should be here any minute so get yourself ~ _ding~_  ...together."

     Jen runs down two flights of stairs to answer the door, but Anne beat her to it. Kira clumsily drags her luggage in up the steps and into the house. She turns around and waves to her mom. With a hand on her shoulder, Anne waves back as well. 

"Thank you for letting me stay over, Mrs... uhh Mrs.-?"

"You can call me Anne for now. Any friend of Jen is welcome here. Jen, do you mind giving our guest a little tour?"

     Jen grabs Kira's luggage and puts on a big smile. "I don't mind Mother. You should get ready. I got this." The two girls climb the stairs and made it to the third floor. 

"Why do you not have a last name?" asks Kira. Maybe the question was too personal but she was curious nonetheless. 

"We don't need last names. We're all children of the Ancients.  We're all basically family." Jen puts simply.

"We?"

"The inhabitants of the church." 

"You call her 'Mother', but is she really your mom?"

"Spiritually yes, but not biologically. My biological parents are ascendant."

"They're dead?"

"No, but you wait right here. I'll put your bag in my room then I'll show you around."

     Daniel exits his room only to be face to face with Kira. He blinks twice and says, "So this is the friend Jen's been talking about? I could give you a tour if you like. I hope we can become fast friends." Kira looks at Daniel. He's attractive, sure. His smile was warm but his eyes were like an icy pond with something cold and deadly waiting for her at the bottom. Yet, she felt compelled to trust him. 

"Daniel, Mother told me to show her around. She's my guest anyway."

"Oh c'mon,  I can show her things that would blow her mind. I am the next prophet, after all." 

     Jen sighs but agrees. They follow Daniel down the stairs and into a large room. If Poe and Lovecraft had gotten together to decorate a room, it would have been this one. It was dimly lit with candles and bookshelves lined the walls. There were books on chemistry, psychology, and world religions. Gargoyle-like creatures sat on top of the bookshelves, looking as if they were watching their every move. The strangest thing about it was a giant statue of some kind of demon. It had a goat head, one big golden eye. a human's torso, four arms and it sat on the coils of its own snake tail. There were three red jewels on it. One in the forehead, one in the chest and one on the lower half of the torso. Kira took a closer look at the statue. Daniel stood next to her and broke the haunting silence.

"I see you've taken an interest in Xemüg. He is our god and our heavenly father."

Kira gave him an odd look. "You worship this... thing?"

"Oh no, this is His interpreted physical form. I can show you what he looks like in the observatory."

"You have an observatory! Your folks must be loaded!"

"I guess you could say that." Jen pipes in.

     The trio walked into the next room which was quite the juxtaposition. A glass dome covered the top and it was bright. They had to squint their eyes a bit as they walked in. Star charts covered the walls and papers were strewn about on tables. A gigantic telescope peeked from out the dome; two children, dressed in all white,  were sitting by it. 

"Hello, Matthew. Hello, Amelia." Daniel called out. The kids whipped their heads around and ran towards Daniel like bullets. They greeted him in enthusiastic unison and gave him a tight hug. The boy had dirty blonde hair and the girl had two dark braids tied with white ribbon. They looked about twelve. 

     Kira looked into their eyes. They looked glazed over and the pupils were blown wide. "Are you guys okay?" 

"Why wouldn't we be okay?!" Matthew exclaimed, "We're pure! But your clothes... You're unclean..." He shrank back.

"Pure this, Xemüg that, I feel like the only normal person here. What the hell is going on?" 

     Jen grabbed Kira's wrist and whispered in her ear. "Maybe we should stop the tour here. I'll give you a makeover back in my room." With that, the two girls left. Amelia looked at the departing pair and then back at Daniel. "Does she say these things because she hasn't seen the light?" Daniel chuckled, but there was a hidden emotion in his eyes. "Don't you worry a hair on your pretty little heads. She's unwell at the moment, but we'll fix her in due time."


	5. Gilded Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls finally do some normal sleepover stuff. Relatively normal.

     Kira looked around Jen's room. It's mostly white but there are some pink accents like the bedsheets, the vanity, the outlines of the door, the dressers and windows, the carpet, and the vase of roses on the desk. Makeup sets sat on the vanity and magazines piled up in a heap in the corner of the room. It was tidy but also cluttered.

"You can sit at the mirror and then we can see what hairstyle suits you." Jen skipped over to the pile of magazines and started to quickly flip through them. Kira sat down and took a long look at herself. Dark, curly hair in a slick braid going down her back, caramel skin -mostly clear despite the oily cheeks and a few small pimples here and there-.  She thought she was attractive enough, maybe a 6.  

 "Aha! Perfect!" Jen exclaimed, "Do you like it?" 

    The picture showed a model with wavy shoulder-length hair with front bangs.

"It's... pretty but it's a big chop. Are you sure you're qualified?" 

 "Totally! I've done this hundreds of times." Jen untied the braid and Kira's hair fanned and coiled. Grabbing the scissors, she measured the hair at shoulder length. Kira flinched 

"If you want the cut to be even, you should sit still." Jen huffed. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course I trust you." 

     They were very good friends. One could even say that they were best friends. But it seemed, that within these walls, Jen lived in a different world. A very dubious world. 

_Snip snip snip_

      Ringlets of brown fell on the floor.  The silence was getting to Kira, so she decided to make conversation.

"Do you really believe in all that?"

"Why wouldn't I? It is the Truth, after all. Are you interested in learning about it?" 

"I would like to know how all this works, but the ideology seems to come straight from a sci-fi movie. I don't know how Daniel sells this 'truth'; I'm surprised no one's questioned it."

     As Jen was cutting Kira's hair she had been gentle, but after that comment, she accented one of the cuts with more force than necessary.

"We never question the prophets," she said grimly. 

Kira had obviously struck a nerve, but decided to press some more.

"Why not?"

Jen sighed in annoyance."They are divine. They were given a purpose by the Ancient Ones to help the suffering. Sometimes, they receive messages from far beyond. Daniel tells me that some nights he barely gets any sleep because of these messages."

_Snip snip snip_

More hair falls.

"It looks like I'm just about done. Let me just comb this part out and voila! You look so pretty!"

If she was going to be honest, Kira did not think this would turn out well, but she's been wrong before. The style complemented her face and her aesthetic. "Wow, this looks good! Thank you."

"I told you I could do it." Jen boasted. "That's all done. You want to know more about our church?'

 _Finally!_ Kira thought."Yeah. That'd be cool."

     Jen grabbed a notebook and a pen and drew a makeshift family tree, then scribbled in names and words. When she was done, she carelessly flung the pen across the room then presented the chart.

"On top, there is Xemüg. He is almighty and head of the Ancients. We have many gods but only worship him. Next are the Ancient Ones. They're minor gods that work alongside Xemüg. The things you know as constellations, that's them. The Greeks were close, but couldn't quite figure it out. 'Capricorn' is Xemüg and the others are the rest of the Ancients."

"So, it's like mono-polytheism?"

"If that's how you understand it, then sure. Next are Mother and Father. They lead, guide, and care for us. The gift of prophecy is genetic and that leads to Daniel. In four years, Mother and Father will ascend because Daniel will be of age. He will need a partner to help him lead.  ~~That's where you come in"~~ Jen half mumbled. "Then there's me, the adults and the children."

"Wait. What about me and Daniel?"

"I invited you to a normal sleepover and maybe you could take part in our festivities. Then, Daniel asked me about you and I told him you were smart and kind. THEN, he asked me if you were suitable for courting and I said yes. You're not mad at me, right."

Kira took deep breaths to calm down and process all of the information. "You set me up on a date with your brot-cous-friend that you live with?"

"Don't think of it as a date, but like an interview." 

Never in a million years did Kira think that she would have a chance to lead a church, if one could call it that. But she could find out more about the mysterious blonde. It's good to look on the brighter side.

Jen piped up. "I have a confession to make." she paused."I'm terrified of Ascension. I'm not questioning my faith or anything. Nonono I'm a believer through and through. Sometimes, I think the Gods will reject me from eternal paradise because I'm too materialistic. I'm not like Daniel at all." Her face began to match the pink in her room and her breaths became quicker.

Kira draped an arm around her and attempted to soothe her friend. "You're a good person. I'm sure your Gods will welcome you. Just relax and don't freak yourself out. In fact-" She ran over to her bag, pulled out two granola bars, and handed her one. "When I'm nervous, I just munch down on one of these. Do you have any food allergies?'

Jen hesitantly took the bar. "No...but where did you get this from?"

"The store. This one's chocolate chip, but it has other flavors."

     Jen took a bite and her eyes lit up like stars. She finished it in the next couple seconds. "These are delicious. I really appreciate your generosity." She walked over to the wastebasket by the door and threw the wrapper inside.

     She crouched down a bit and stuck her fingers down her throat.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?!" Kira rushed to her side and pulled her to the bed to sit down. 

"Yeah. I-I'm o-okay. I'm not supposed to consume man-made food. I have to keep my body pure. Daniel's probably ready for you. You s-should g-go."

Kira had no idea how to help her friend. She could give her a water bottle, but she didn't know if that constituted as "man-made". "But you're sick. I just can't leave.

Jen shakily stood."I'll be okay. I'm going to cleanse myself. Daniel is on the balcony; go straight then make a left. It's the door with the sun on it." She turned quickly and steadied herself with the doorframe. Then she left.

     Kira just sat on the bed in astonishment. 

 


End file.
